]]>This shelter for the remains of a Roman villa in Gloucestershire, England, is wrapped in slats of untreated larch so that it will blend peacefully into the landscape over time (+ slideshow).

The 40-metre-long shelter was designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios to improve preservation and provide better access to Chedworth Roman Villa, a 1,800-year-old ruin in Gloucestershire that is managed by conservation organisation the National Trust.

It enables a stretch of ancient mosaic floor along the villa's west range to be viewed by the public for the first time.

The larch that wraps the building's exterior was sourced from the National Trust's managed forest in Ashridge, Hertfordshire.

"The site's rural setting, coupled with our unshakeable conviction that the Roman archaeology should remain the star of the show, inspired our formal and material approach to the new building," said the architects.

"As time passes, the building will become more like an extension of the surrounding forest."

Chedworth Roman Villa was discovered in 1860 when a dog digging for a ferret brought up mosaic fragments to the surface.

It was subsequently turned into one of Britain's first public heritage sites, and remains one of the most complete and most visited domestic Roman ruins in northern Europe.

Previously, two Victorian sheds sheltered the bathhouse and dining room at either end of the villa's west range, but the mosaic corridor between them was covered in tarmac, and plastic tents erected for emergency protection had begun to dominate the site.

The new shelter covers the entire length of the west range, providing ramped access to a metal walkway suspended from the ceiling joists, which guides visitors from one end to the other.

"The design pushes the boundaries of the conventional museum typology by allowing visitors to walk only inches above the floor mosaics," said the architects. "This creates a uniquely intimate experience of archaeology, which is more conventionally viewed from afar."

Walkway. Image courtesy of The National Trust

The shelter was designed to rest lightly on top of the ruin's walls, with sections of the timber frame arranged to distribute weight evenly across the structure.

Mosaics. Image courtesy of The National Trust

"It involved a careful balance between designing a lightweight timber-framed structure, and building in enough self-weight to keep the building on its base in strong winds, without the need for anchor fixings down into the Roman walls," project architect Matt Somerville told Dezeen.

"Building directly on top of the Roman walls was central to our approach. We didn't want to follow the approach taken with many other Roman villa sites, where an all-encompassing shelter displays the archaeological remains primarily as an artefact, like an object in a display case."

The front facade is covered in slatted timber screens that slide open to bring in light and views, with timber battens angled towards the north and placed closer together at the lower level to protect the mosaic floor from direct sunlight.

To avoid the use of heavy machinery on site, all elements of the building were prefabricated and delivered as a kit of parts, which were assembled by hand, with the help of temporary hoists and tracks. The frame was erected in four weeks, and the rest of the building was completed in 11 months.

View of ambulatory. Image courtesy of The National Trust

The modular construction is also intended to make the building easier to de-mount or adapt in the future.

"Working on a building this old leaves you in no doubt you are working on one time-limited phase in its history," said Somerville.

Existing archeology. Photograph by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has designed a second, similar shelter for the villa's north range, but is waiting on funding to build it, Somerville told Dezeen.

"There's still a great deal of archaeology to be revealed, and our building should be readily adaptable and extendable to deal with this," he said.

The £2 million project also includes a new learning shelter and a refurbished reception building, as well as a borehole that provides drinking water and a rainwater harvesting system for flushing toilets, which was necessary because of the site's remote location away from water pipes.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2015/07/30/feilden-clegg-bradley-studios-chedworth-roman-villa-ruins-larch-clad-shelter-gloucestershire-england-national-trust/feed/3Chris Dyson Architects adds a rusty steel tower to a rural stone cottagehttp://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/16/chris-dyson-architects-gasworks-cottage-extension-england-stone-rusty-corten-steel-cylindrical-tower/
http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/16/chris-dyson-architects-gasworks-cottage-extension-england-stone-rusty-corten-steel-cylindrical-tower/#commentsMon, 16 Mar 2015 08:00:14 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=661022A cylindrical tower clad in weathered steel forms part of this extension to a 19th-century stone cottage in the English countryside, designed to recall a gasworks that previously stood on the site. Tasked with creating additional space for the future needs of the cottage's owners, Chris Dyson Architects designed the annex to replace a derelict gasworks that had […]

]]>A cylindrical tower clad in weathered steel forms part of this extension to a 19th-century stone cottage in the English countryside, designed to recall a gasworks that previously stood on the site.

Tasked with creating additional space for the future needs of the cottage's owners, Chris Dyson Architects designed the annex to replace a derelict gasworks that had once served a nearby country house.

The property is located in rural Gloucestershire, so the majority of the annex comprises a single-storey 120-square-metre structure influenced by typical vernacular barn buildings. The two-storey tower sits alongside, evoking the appearance of a gas storage cylinder.

Both structures are clad with rusty Corten steel, intended to reinforce the visual connection between past and present. Corrugated steel sheets form the walls and roof of the new addition, while the tower is clad in curving panels.

"The steel envelope sits on a sustainably sourced timber frame and pays homage to the building's industrial past, while creating a striking contrast to the main building," said the studio in a statement.

"The new annex is deliberately distinct from its surroundings but with creative use of materials and massing works gently with the landscape encircling an external courtyard."

A glazed corridor with a pitched roof connects the kitchen of the existing cottage with four bedrooms contained in the single-storey extension.

Doors integrated into the glazing open the space out to a horseshoe-shaped courtyard at the rear of the building.

The corridor's curved wall follows the line of a circular brick pit from the gasworks that was filled in to create the courtyard. A large valve and pipes that emerge from the ground close to the main house offer a symbolic remnant of its former use.

The bedrooms are arranged around the end of the courtyard and look out on the opposite side towards the surrounding woodland. Large skylights in the sloping ceilings fill these rooms with natural light.

Bright en-suite bathrooms with shower areas enclosed by glass bricks are connected to large dressing rooms.

The tower contains two levels of study spaces. A wooden staircase at the end of the glass-lined corridor ascends to the first floor, and is illuminated by a narrow skylight.

Vertical windows inserted into the circumference of the tower also allow views through from the courtyard to the countryside beyond.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/16/chris-dyson-architects-gasworks-cottage-extension-england-stone-rusty-corten-steel-cylindrical-tower/feed/5The Round Tower by De Matos Ryanhttp://www.dezeen.com/2012/02/23/the-round-tower-by-de-matos-ryan/
http://www.dezeen.com/2012/02/23/the-round-tower-by-de-matos-ryan/#commentsThu, 23 Feb 2012 18:07:17 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=194702Slideshow: this underground house by London studio De Matos Ryan tunnels beneath a listed stone tower in Gloucestershire, England. A grass roof slopes up to cover living and utility rooms inside the single-storey building but cuts away at the centre to create a concealed courtyard. A corridor leads from the main house into the tower […]

The Round Tower is a Grade II Listed folly, which had been reduced to ruin by years of neglect and fire.

Located on the crest of a hill overlooking Siddington Village, the exposed site is visually integral to the setting of this listed structure.

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As such the design approach maintains the open relationship with the surrounding agricultural landscape by developing a discreet and substantial underground extension to the tower.

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This underground extension provides the main open plan living spaces and is lit by both a central open sunken courtyard and a lateral ‘landscape scoop’ concealing the new swimming pool and associated sun terraces from public view.

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The listed tower remains clearly the dominant structure, providing the front door to the 4 bedroom family house and the means of vertical circulation. It is also the visual focus of the main sunken courtyard garden.

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The restored tower provides additional accommodation and a roof terrace for the enjoyment of the panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

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A new detached building adjacent to the entrance to the site, provides garaging and an additional guest studio.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2012/02/23/the-round-tower-by-de-matos-ryan/feed/9All Saints' Academy by Nicholas Hare Architectshttp://www.dezeen.com/2012/02/19/all-saints-academy-by-nicholas-hare-architects/
http://www.dezeen.com/2012/02/19/all-saints-academy-by-nicholas-hare-architects/#commentsSun, 19 Feb 2012 09:00:05 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=192770A shiny copper chapel hovers above the entrance to this Catholic school in Gloucestershire, England, by London studio Nicholas Hare Architects. The academy accommodates a secondary school and a sixth form college, both accessed through a curved atrium with a three-storey-high glazed facade. A winding staircase connects the ground floor reception with two overlooking galleries, […]

All Saints' Academy is a church school for the community. The academy is sponsored by the Clifton RC Diocese and the Gloucester C of E Diocese. It provides secondary education for 900 pupils and 250 sixth formers.

The heart of the new building is its entrance atrium. The glazed atrium forms a focus for community activity. Its vibrant space is dominated by a sculptural stair which links the curved galleries at each level.

The copper-clad form of the chapel stands at one end, above the entrance.

The learning resource centre, assembly hall and dining area are all reached directly from the atrium.

The galleries lead to three radiating learning wings providing most of the classroom accommodation.

Staff spaces are placed along the galleries so that they form a threshold to the more private learning wings.

At ground level large windows provide views into the wings of display areas for the celebration of students’ work.

Externally, the areas around the building provide many opportunities that encourage outdoor learning.